You always heard of Eugene Parker that he was deliberate. As a negotiator, his patience and his belief in his principles were his and his clients' greatest assets. He could frustrate adversaries with his intractability, but big-picture, long-term, he won their respect.
Parker was one of the most influential NFL agents of his time, famous for representing the likes of Deion Sanders, Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin. But his death from cancer Thursday at the age of 60 made me think back only a few months, to when he was negotiating a deal for Jason Pierre-Paul and his damaged right hand to return to the New York Giants following last July's fireworks accident.